The Charles W. Morgan returns to New Bedford, but her first port of call was Horta in the Azores
Corvo, the Lilliputian Island

The Sidewalks of Portugal

 

Portuguese sidewalks are unlike anything you have seen. The "Calçada Portuguesa" is an ancient paving art based on Roman mosaics. This art transforms mundane walkways into masterpieces. And, there is no shortage in the Azores.

  IMG_1609

Some of the techniques introduced by the Romans are still applied on the Calçada. Today, many of Portugal's public squares, open spaces, and sidewalks have been painstakingly transformed into these mosaic murals featuring animals, floral decorations, coats of arms, historic scenes, and elaborate patterns--all by hand-placing small black and white stones.

  IMG_1607

Upon a well-compacted layer of sand and grit, craftsmen (called "calceteiros") lay a bedding of gravel to act as cement for the stones. Then, the tiny black and white stones are chipped to fit perfectly into a pattern. Lastly, the stones are packed down with a huge wooden mallet.

 

The art of Portuguese sidewalks defines Portugal urban life and makes  its cities uniquely Portugal.

  IMG_1597

Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Verify your Comment

Previewing your Comment

This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.

Working...
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment

The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.

As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.

Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.

Working...

Post a comment

Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them.

Your Information

(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)